Editing Church of Satan

{{Short description|Organization dedicated to atheistic Satanism}}
{{For|the book|The Church of Satan (book)}}{{distinguish|The Satanic Temple}}{{third-party|date=March 2022}}
{{use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox religion
| name               = Church of Satan
| image              = [[Image:Baphosimb.svg|150px]]
| imagewidth         = 
| caption            = [[Sigil of Baphomet]], an official symbol of LaVeyan Satanism<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gilmore|first1=Magus Peter H.|title=F.A.Q. Symbols and Symbolism|url=http://www.churchofsatan.com/faq-symbols-and-symbolism.php|publisher=Church of Satan|access-date=4 April 2017|archive-date=7 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107025854/https://www.churchofsatan.com/faq-symbols-and-symbolism|url-status=live}}</ref>
| abbreviation       = CoS
| main_classification = [[New religious movement]]
| type               = [[Satanism]]
| orientation        = [[LaVeyan Satanism]]
| governance         = Council of Nine
| associations       = Non-ecumenical
| structure          = [[Cabal]]
| theology           = {{ubl|
|[[Egotheism]]
|[[Atheism]]}}
| founder            = [[Anton Szandor LaVey]]
| founded_date       = April 30, 1966
| founded_place      = [[Black House (Church of Satan)|Black House]], [[San Francisco]], California
| separations        = [[Temple of Set]] (1975), [[First Satanic Church]] (1999)
| members            = Not disclosed
| leader_title       = High Priest
| leader_name        = [[Peter H. Gilmore]]
| headquarters       = [[Poughkeepsie, New York]]
| area               = International
| scripture          = ''[[The Satanic Bible]]'' written by Anton Szandor LaVey
| other_names        = The Satanic Church
| publications       = ''[[The Black Flame (magazine)|The Black Flame]]'', ''The Cloven Hoof''
| website            = {{URL|http://www.churchofsatan.com}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

{{LaVeyan Satanism box}}
The '''Church of Satan''' ('''CoS''') is a [[religious organization]] dedicated to the religion of [[LaVeyan Satanism|Satanism as defined by Anton Szandor LaVey]]. Founded in [[San Francisco]] in 1966, by [[Anton LaVey|LaVey]], it is considered the "oldest satanic religion in continual existence", and more importantly the most influential,  inspiring "numerous imitator and breakaway groups".<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.4/>{{#tag:ref|Religious studies scholar R. Van Luijk writes, "Genealogically speaking, every known Satanist group or organization in the world today derives directly or indirectly from LaVey's 1966 Church of Satan, even if they are dismissive of LaVey or choose to emphasize other real or alleged forerunners of Satanism."<ref name=Footnote9>R. van Luijk, Children of Lucifer: The Origins of Modern Religious Satanism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016), p. 305.</ref>|group=Note}} According to the Church, Satanism has been "codified" as "a religion and philosophy" by LaVey and his church.<ref name="CoS-TST-FS">{{cite web |last1=Ethan |first1=Joel |title=The Satanic Temple Fact Sheet |url=https://www.churchofsatan.com/the-satanic-temple-fact-sheet/ |website=Church of Satan |access-date=11 January 2024}}</ref> Founded in an era when there was much public interest in the [[occult]], [[witchcraft]] and [[Satanism]],  the  church enjoyed a heyday for  several years after its founding. Celebrities attended LaVey's satanic parties and he was invited on talk shows. His ''[[Satanic Bible]]'' sold nearly a million copies.<ref name="JPLS2023:sect.4">[[#JPLS2023|Laycock, ''Satanism'', 2023]]: section 4. The Church of Satan</ref><ref>Owen Davies, ''Grimoires: A History of Magic Books'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), p. 274.</ref>

LaVey was the church's [[wikt:high priest|High Priest]] until his death in 1997.<ref name="CoS" /> In 2001, [[Peter H. Gilmore]] was appointed to the position of high priest, and the church's headquarters were moved to [[Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan]], [[New York City]]. Members do not believe that [[Satan]] literally exists and do not worship him.<ref name="Satanism-Introduction">{{cite web |author-last=Abrams |author-first=Joe |editor-last=Wyman |editor-first=Kelly |date=Spring 2006 |title=The Religious Movements Homepage Project - Satanism: An Introduction |url=http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/satanism/intro.html#atheistic/theistic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060829152745/http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/satanism/intro.html#atheistic/theistic |archive-date=29 August 2006 |website=virginia.edu |publisher=[[University of Virginia]] |access-date=1 January 2021}}</ref> Instead, Satan is viewed as a positive [[archetype]] embracing the Hebrew root of the word "Satan" as "adversary", who represents [[pride]], [[wikt:carnal|carnality]], and [[Age of Enlightenment|enlightenment]], humanity's natural instincts which [[Abrahamic faiths]] have wrongly suppressed. According to High Priest Peter H. Gilmore, Satan is "a name for the reservoir of power inside each human to be tapped at will".<ref name="CoS">{{cite web |url=http://www.churchofsatan.com/home.html |title=Official Church of Satan Website |publisher=Churchofsatan.com |date= |access-date=2023-01-09 |archive-date=2012-07-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701104244/http://www.churchofsatan.com/home.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>  In LaVey's book, ''[[The Satanic Bible]]'', the Satanist's concept of a God is described as the Satanist's true "self"— a projection of their own personality, not an external deity.{{sfn|Wright|1993|p=143}} Satan is used as a representation of personal liberty and individualism.{{sfn|Cavaglion|Sela-Shayovitz|2005|p=255}}

The Church dismisses the idea of a "Satanic Community" and does not share membership lists with its members, arguing members are "radical individualists" who "may share very little in common beyond" being Satanists.<ref name="Gilmore-Myth">{{cite web |last1=Gilmore |first1=Peter H. |title=Myth of the 'Satanic Community' and other Virtual Delusions by Magus Peter H. Gilmore |url=https://www.churchofsatan.com/myth-of-satanic-community/ |website=Church of Satan |access-date=7 January 2024}}</ref> The Church rejects the legitimacy of any other organizations who claim to be Satanists.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ohlheiser |first=Abby |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/national/wp/2014/11/07/the-church-of-satan-wants-you-to-stop-calling-these-devil-worshipping-alleged-murderers-satanists/ |title=The Church of Satan wants you to stop calling these 'devil worshiping' alleged murderers Satanists |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=2014-11-07 |access-date=2015-11-19}}</ref><ref>[[n:Satanism: An interview with Church of Satan High Priest Peter Gilmore]]</ref> Scholars agree that there is no reliably documented case of Satanic continuity prior to the founding of the Church of Satan.{{sfn|Asprem|Granholm|2014|p=75}} It was the first organized church in modern times to be devoted to the figure of Satan,{{sfn|Lewis|2002|p=5}} and according to Faxneld and Petersen, the Church represented "the first public, highly visible, and long-lasting organization which propounded a coherent satanic discourse".{{sfn|Faxneld|Petersen|2013|p=81}}

==Beliefs==
LaVey described his religion as "just [[Ayn Rand]]'s philosophy with ceremony and ritual added";{{sfn|Lewis|2002|p=9}} similarly, sociologist of religion [[James R. Lewis (scholar)|James R. Lewis]] described it as "a blend of [[Epicureanism]] and Ayn Rand's philosophy, flavored with a pinch of [[Ceremonial magic|ritual magic]]."{{sfn|Lewis|2002|p=2}}  There is no belief in nor worship of the Devil or a [[Devil in Christianity|Christian notion of Satan]].<ref name="wikinews">{{cite news |url=https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Satanism:_An_interview_with_Church_of_Satan_High_Priest_Peter_Gilmore |title=Satanism: An interview with Church of Satan High Priest Peter Gilmore|newspaper=Wikinews|date= 5 November 2007|access-date=2013-09-09}}</ref> High priest Peter Gilmore describes its members as "skeptical atheists", indicating the Hebrew root of the word "Satan" as "adversary" or "opposer."<ref>{{Cite web |title=H7854 - śāṭān - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) |url=https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/gen/1/1/s_1001 |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=Blue Letter Bible |language=en}}</ref> According to LaVey, it is not enough for satanists to merely be atheistic.<ref>{{cite book |last1=LaVey |first1=Anton|title=The Devil's Notebook |date=2000 |publisher=Feral House |isbn=9780922915118 |page=85 |quote=As Satanists, we have the advantage of realizing this early in the game. It has never been enough for us to be atheistic - we have learned how to smash religious ignorance by beating them at their own game, using the Christians' own manufactured fears to destroy them.}}</ref> Gilmore rejects the legitimacy of [[Theistic Satanism|theistic Satanists]], who believe Satan to be a supernatural being or force that may be contacted or supplicated to, dubbing them "devil worshipers".<ref name="wikinews"/> In an interview with David Shankbone, Gilmore stated "My real feeling is that anybody who believes in supernatural entities on some level is insane. Whether they believe in the Devil or God, they are abdicating reason." He added, "Satanism begins with atheism. We begin with the universe and say, 'It's indifferent. There's no God, there's no Devil. No one cares!'"<ref name="gilmoreinterview">[[n:Satanism: An interview with Church of Satan High Priest Peter Gilmore|Interview with Peter H. Gilmore]], David Shankbone, ''[[Wikinews]]'', November 5, 2007.</ref> According to Gilmore,  
{{blockquote|We do not believe in the supernatural. To the Satanist, he is his own God. Satan is a symbol of Man living as his prideful, carnal nature dictates. Some Satanists extend this symbol to encompass the evolutionary "force" of entropy that permeates all of nature and provides the drive for survival and propagation inherent in all living things. To the Satanist, Satan is not a conscious entity to be worshiped, rather it is a name for the reservoir of power inside each human to be tapped at will.<ref name="CoS"/>}}
The church has stated its contention that they are the first formally organized religion to adopt the term "Satanism" and describes the term "Theistic Satanism" as "[[oxymoron]]ic".<ref>{{cite web|title=F.A.Q. Fundamental Beliefs|url=https://www.churchofsatan.com/faq-fundamental-beliefs/|publisher=Church of Satan|access-date=30 January 2023|archive-date=22 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222212500/https://www.churchofsatan.com/faq-fundamental-beliefs/|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
LaVey's views on magic were ambiguous. He insisted  Satanism was a "[[Materialism|materialist]] philosophy" but also often talked of magic.<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.5>[[#JPLS2023|Laycock, ''Satanism'', 2023]]: section 5. The Temple of Set and Esoteric Satanism. The Temple of Set</ref>
He included this rule in his "Rules of the Earth":<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.5/>
{{blockquote|Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained."<ref name=Footnote132>LaVey, "Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth."</ref>}}

LaVey also often talked of  a "Satanic magical formula" of  "nine parts respectability to one part outrageousness",<ref name="JPLS2023:sect.4-LaVey's">[[#JPLS2023|Laycock, ''Satanism'', 2023]]: section 4. The Church of Satan. LaVey's Satanism</ref>  Satanism requiring some element of sinisterness, but not so much as to put off potential congregants. The "Rules of the Earth" in LaVey's Satanic Bible specifically prohibited unwanted sexual advances and harming animals or children,<ref>{{cite web |author=A. S. LaVey|title=The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth |date= 1967 |website=Church of Satan |url= https://www.churchofsatan.com/eleven-rules-of-earth |access-date=8 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=A. S. LaVey|title=The Nine Satanic Sins |date= 1987|url= https://www.churchofsatan.com/nine-satanic-sins |website=Church of Satan}}</ref> but the Church also  "often featured a nude woman serving as an altar" in its black masses.<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.4-Magic>[[#JPLS2023|Laycock, ''Satanism'', 2023]]: section 4. The Church of Satan. From the Magic Circle to the Church of Satan</ref>

Though not emphasizing social or political causes, like [[Ayn Rand]], LaVey explicitly opposed [[egalitarianism]] and supported [[social stratification]], calling for the end of the "myth of 'equality'", which only "supports the weak at the expense of the strong".<ref>{{cite web |title=Pentagonal Revisionism: A Five-Point Program |website=Church of Satan |url=https://www.churchofsatan.com/pentagonal-revisionism/ |date=1988 |last1=LaVey |first1=Anton |access-date=8 January 2023}}</ref> But he also suggested that in loving themselves, [[Hedonism|hedonists]] developed the ability to love others.  He was quoted as saying, "If Satanists didn't care, they wouldn't be so dark and pessimistic."<ref name=Footnote-88>B. Barton, The Secret Life of a Satanist: The Authorized Biography of Anton LaVey (Los Angeles, CA: Feral House, 1990), p. 213.</ref><ref name="JPLS2023:sect.4-LaVey's"/>

==History==

===Early years===
In the 1960s Anton Szandor LaVey formed a group called the Order of the Trapezoid, which later became the governing body of the Church of Satan. The group included: "The Baroness" Carin de Plessen, Dr. Cecil Nixon, [[Kenneth Anger]], San Francisco [[Assessor (property)|city assessor]] Russell Wolden, and Donald Werby.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lacey|first=Michael|title=Pieces of the Action: What's worse? A venture capitalist or a guy who smokes cunderage hookers?|url=http://www.sfweekly.com/2007-06-20/news/pieces-of-the-action/|publisher=SF Weekly Jun 20 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title="Satan's Den in Great Disrepair" Lattin, Don (January 25, 1999) |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fchronicle%2Farchive%2F1999%2F01%2F25%2FMN77329.DTL |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |url-status=dead |date=January 25, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720054934/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fchronicle%2Farchive%2F1999%2F01%2F25%2FMN77329.DTL |archive-date=July 20, 2014 |access-date=May 29, 2012 }}</ref> According to the Church of Satan historiography, other LaVey associates from this time include noted [[science fiction]] and [[horror fiction|horror]] writers [[Anthony Boucher]], [[August Derleth]], Robert Barbour Johnson, [[Reginald Bretnor]], [[Emil Petaja]], [[Stuart Palmer (author)|Stuart Palmer]], [[Clark Ashton Smith]], [[Forrest J. Ackerman]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/has-the-church-of-satan-gone-to-hell/Content?oid=2135375|title=Has the Church of Satan Gone to Hell?|first=Jack|last=Boulware|newspaper=SF Weekly|location=San Francisco|access-date=March 15, 2015|date=June 17, 1998|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402160647/http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/has-the-church-of-satan-gone-to-hell/Content?oid=2135375|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Fritz Leiber Jr.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.churchofsatan.com/cos-order-of-trapezoid.php |title=A Brief History of the Church of Satan 2. The Magic Circle |publisher=Churchofsatan.com |date= |access-date=2011-01-20}}</ref>

The Church of Satan was established at the [[Black House (Church of Satan)|Black House]] in San Francisco, California, on [[Walpurgis Night|Walpurgisnacht]], April 30, 1966, by  LaVey, who was the church's High Priest until his death in 1997.<ref name="CoS"/>

In the first year of its foundation, LaVey and the Church of Satan publicly performed a Satanic marriage of Judith Case and journalist John Raymond. The ceremony was attended by [[Joe Rosenthal]]. LaVey performed the first publicly recorded Satanic baptism in history for his youngest daughter [[Zeena Schreck|Zeena]], which garnered worldwide publicity and was originally recorded on ''The Satanic Mass'' LP.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Satanic Mass/Zeena's Baptism Track A9 go to 3:42| website=[[YouTube]] |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=s_M09vuLQAc&NR=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Satanic Mass, Track A9 (Zeena's Baptism)|date=1968 |url=http://www.discogs.com/Anton-LaVey-The-Satanic-Mass/release/1166426|publisher=Murgenstrumm, 1968 Vinly LP}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Satanist Anton LaVey Baptising Daughter|url=http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/U1556387/satanist-anton-lavey-baptising-daughter|publisher=Bettmann/CORBIS|location=San Francisco, California, USA|date=May 23, 1967|quote=LaVey [...] said the mystic ceremony was the first such baptism in history.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://zeena.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=109%3Apress-coverage-of-zeenas-baptism-1967-1968&catid=41&Itemid=57|title=clippings of Zeena's baptism world wide}}</ref> A Satanic funeral for naval machinist-repairman, third-class Edward Olsen, was performed at the request of his wife, complete with an  [[honor guard]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Navy Machinist's Mate Third Class Edward D. Olsen, 26 |url=https://www.alamy.com/navy-machinists-mate-third-class-edward-d-olsen-26-who-was-killed-in-an-automobile-accident-is-buried-with-a-navy-honor-guard-and-the-rites-of-the-satanic-church-which-consigned-his-soul-to-the-devil-dec-11-1967-high-priest-anton-lavey-wearing-cape-at-right-and-holding-the-book-of-black-magic-presided-over-the-service-while-a-navy-bugler-blew-taps-ap-photorobert-w-klein-image521599288.html |website=Almy |access-date=6 January 2024}}</ref>

The Church of Satan was the subject of a number of books, magazine and newspaper articles during the 1960s and 1970s. It is also the subject of a documentary, ''[[Satanis]]'' (1970). LaVey appeared in [[Kenneth Anger]]'s film ''[[Invocation of My Demon Brother]]'', acted as technical adviser on ''[[The Devil's Rain (film)|The Devil's Rain]]'', which starred [[Ernest Borgnine]], [[William Shatner]], and introduced [[John Travolta]]. The Church of Satan was also featured in a segment of [[Luigi Scattini]]'s film ''Angeli Bianchi, Angeli Neri'', released in the United States as ''Witchcraft '70''.<ref name="IMDb-W70">{{cite web |title=Witchcraft '70 Original title: Angeli bianchi... angeli neri |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066577/ |website=IMDb |access-date=7 January 2024 |quote=A mondo style report of satanic rites from around the world. Includes devil worshipping, voodoo cults, church of satan, black magic, naked exorcism and pagan rituals.}}</ref>

One attempt to establish the church abroad was done in connection with Maarten Lamers of the Netherlands who read The Satanic Bible and in 1971 flew to San Francisco to meet LaVey. Back in Amsterdam, Lamers established the first CoS grotto outside the U.S. -- the Magistralis Grotto or the ''Kerk van Satan''. The "Kerk" was in the [[De Wallen|Red Light District]] and connected to a club called Walpurga Abbey where customers could pay by the minute to observe "monastic sisters" of the Abbey masturbate on stage. Lamers insisted that since the sisters were "performing religious acts of [[Sex magic|sexual magic]]", Walpurga Abbey was tax-exempt. The Dutch government disagreed and in 1987, "after a decade of police raids and legal battles", Lamers was compelled to pay 10 million guilders in back taxes.<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.4-Rise/>

In 1972, LaVey stopped holding weekly rituals at the Black House and announced these would be done at the local grottos. Then on September 27, 1974, he declared the end of all regional organizations and that individual members and grottos should report to the Church's Central Grotto in San Francisco. LaVey called this move "Phase IV of his master plan"<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.4-Rise>[[#JPLS2023|Laycock, ''Satanism'', 2023]]: section 4. The Church of Satan. The Rise and Fall of Anton LaVey</ref>

===Schisms===
Starting in the early 1970s, the Church faced internal [[dissent]] and a series of [[schism]]s. The first breakaway was by the Babylonian Grotto and its leader Wayne West, who LaVey [[Excommunication|excommunicated]]. A bigger schism happened with the excommunication of the Stygian Grotto, whose leader established the Church of Satanic Brotherhood in 1973 with units in Dayton, Indianapolis, Louisville, New York City, and St. Petersburg (FL). From the Church's Belphegor Grotto, another splinter group created the Order of the Black Goat, which was allegedly [[Neo-Nazism|neo-Nazi]] in orientation, led by Michael Grumbowski. A later, more resilient offshoot was the World Church of Satanic Liberation, which ran from 1986 to 2011.<ref>Foertsch, Steven. "An organizational analysis of the schismatic Church of Satan." ''Review of Religious Research'' 64, no. 1 (2022): 55-76, pp. 61-62</ref>

In 1975, the Church of Satan underwent a significant fracture. [[Michael A. Aquino|Michael Archy Aquino]], the editor of the church newsletter and a fairly high level leader in the church, who disagreed with LaVey's changes, left to found the [[Temple of Set]], taking a significant portion of the CoS leadership with him. This schism involved the largest Church branch, the Nineveh Grotto in NJ, and the Lilith Grotto in NY, among others. The Temple of Set reportedly had more than 500 members at its founding, although Anton LaVey claimed that only 29 people left.<ref>Foertsch, Steven. "An organizational analysis of the schismatic Church of Satan." ''Review of Religious Research'' 64, no. 1 (2022): 55-76, pp. 63-4</ref>

LaVey announced that the Temple of Set schism was not a setback but "Phase V" of his master plan,<ref name="JPLS2023:sect.4-Rise" /> however, according to author Amina Lap, from this point on Satanism became a "splintered and disorganized movement".{{sfn|Lap|2013|p=84}}

Schisms from the Church were caused by several factors, according to sociologist Foertsch. He focused on differences in costliness or [[barriers to entry]] for members, disputes over authority and [[doctrine]], and opportunities for [[Niche market|niche development]] in the American [[Counterculture of the 1960s|counter-culture]] world of [[occult]]ism, and persecution of alleged Satanists during the [[moral panic]] (described below) of the 1980s.<ref>Foertsch, Steven. "An organizational analysis of the schismatic Church of Satan." ''Review of Religious Research'' 64, no. 1 (2022): 55-76.</ref>

The same year LaVey painted the Black House beige to lessen unwanted attention and "largely retired from public life".<ref>R. van Luijk, ''Children of Lucifer: The Origins of Modern Religious Satanism'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016), p. 363</ref>  (In 1986, the Black House was repainted black.) According to at least one critic, James R. Lewis, LaVey  was not instituting "a Master Plan" but demonstrating that he "was not up to making the necessary personal sacrifices that being a founding prophet and leader required" because his motives for founding the Church were personal enrichment and self-aggrandizement, not spreading some religious truth.<ref name="Footnote-118">R. Lewis, ''Legitimating New Religions'' (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2003), p.111.</ref>

===1980s, early 1990s, and "Satanic Panic"===
In the 1980s a phenomenon that became known as the "[[Satanic ritual abuse#As a moral panic|Satanic Panic]]" arose and the media reported concerns of criminal conspiracies by the Church of Satan.  According to a report released in 2020, LaVey indicated to FBI agents who interviewed him on October 31, 1980 that he had lost interest in the Church. 
{{blockquote|"LAVEY STATED THAT HE IS WELL AWARE THAT MOST PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH THE CHURCH OF SATAN ARE IN FACT 'FANATICS, CULTISTS, AND WEIRDOES.' HE STATED HIS INTEREST IN THE CHURCH OF SATAN IS STRICTLY FROM A MONETARY POINT OF VIEW AND SPENDS HIS TIME FURNISHING INTERVIEWS, WRITING MATERIALS, AND LATELY HAS BECOME INTERESTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY."<ref name=Footnote119>Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Acts Release – Subject: Anton LaVey,"  capitalization as in original. quoted in Joseph Laycock, ''Satanism'', 2023</ref><ref name=JPLS2023:sect.4-Rise/>}} 

During the 1980s and 90s, LaVey  was no longer interested in making media appearances and began a "long period of silence", becoming "increasingly reclusive".<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.4-Rise/> In 1985, he began sending his daughter Zeena to represent the CoS. She appeared on television and radio broadcasts (including ''[[The Phil Donahue Show]]'', ''[[Nightline]] with [[Ted Koppel]]'', ''[[Entertainment Tonight]]'', ''[[Late Show with David Letterman|The Late Show]]'', ''[[Secrets & Mysteries]]'' and ''[[Sally (talk show)|the Sally Jesse Raphael Show]]'')  {{#tag:ref|She explained that she did this on behalf of her father while being interviewed alongside her husband by televangelist [[Bob Larson]].<ref name="The First Family of Satanism">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WcKrdFHTds | title = The First Family of Satanism | website = [[YouTube]] | place = Denver Colorado | date = 1989}}</ref>|group=Note}}
to both educate about the Church and to debunk Satanic ritual abuse and any connection between those allegations and true Satanism (specifically the Church of Satan).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDNwdcKdboQ | title = KJTV Interviews Zeena LaVey | website = [[YouTube]] | place = Los Angeles | date = 1987}}</ref> She also became the High Priestess of the Church during this time<ref>{{cite web|title=Zeena Schreck Interview in Vice Magazine, Beelzebub's Daughter, by Annette Lamothe-Ramos|date=26 September 2012 |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/beelzebubs-daughter-0000175-v19n4/}}</ref> and in 1988 married [[Nikolas Schreck]].<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.4-Rise/>

On Walpurgisnacht 30 April 1990, Zeena formally renounced any association with the Church or LaVey, whom she now called her "unfather," changing her [[Maiden and married names|maiden name]] to her then married name Schreck, the surname she retained after her divorce.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Schreck |first1=Zeena |title=FAQ on Zeena Schreck's website |url=https://www.zeenaschreck.com/general-info.html |website=zeenaschreck.com}}</ref> Shortly after leaving the church, Zeena testified against LaVey in support of her mother's (Diane Hegarty) [[Palimony in the United States|palimony]] lawsuit against LaVey. The court awarded Hegarty half of LaVey's property, forcing him to sell [[Black House (Church of Satan)|the Black House]] and bankrupting him.<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.4-Rise/> Zeena and her husband later joined the Temple of Set for a time but in 2002 she resigned and formed the [[Zeena Schreck#Sethian Liberation Movement|Sethian Liberation Movement]]. 

In the 1990s remaining members of the Church of Satan became active in media appearances to refute allegations of criminal activity. Members of the Church who were active in producing movies, music, films, and magazines devoted to Satanism include [[Adam Parfrey]]'s [[Feral House]] publishing, the musician [[Boyd Rice]], musician [[King Diamond]], and the filmmaker [[Nick Bougas]] (a.k.a. A. Wyatt Mann).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://garrisongraphics.blogspot.de/2015/02/racist-and-anti-semtic-cartoonist-wyatt.html|title=Nick Bougas, a.k.a. A Wyatt Mann}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Buzzfeed article by Joseph Bernstein "History Of The Internet's Favorite Anti-Semitic Image"|website=[[BuzzFeed]] |date=5 February 2015 |url=http://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/the-surprisingly-mainstream-history-of-the-internets-favorit#.xfzZKwrNG}}</ref>

In 1994, Kenneth Lanning, an [[FBI]] expert in investigating child sexual abuse,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress02/heimbach050102.htm |title=Testimony of Michael J. Heimbach, Crimes Against Children Unit |last=Heimbach |first=MJ |date=2002-05-01 |publisher=United States Congress |access-date=2008-04-30 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061230100851/http://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress02/heimbach050102.htm | archive-date = 2006-12-30}}</ref> produced a report on Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) aimed at child protection authorities, which stated that despite hundreds of investigations, no corroboration of SRA had been found. Following this report, several convictions based on SRA allegations were overturned and the defendants released.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nathan |first=Debbie |title=Satan's Silence: Ritual Abuse and the Making of a Modern American Witch Hunt |year=1995 |isbn=9780595189557 |publication-date=January 1, 1995 |pages=230|publisher=iUniverse }}</ref>

===After LaVey===
[[File:Karla LaVey.jpg|thumb|[[Karla LaVey]] during a "Black X-Mass" celebration in 2012|left|270x270px]]
After Anton Szandor LaVey's death on October 29, 1997, the role of High Priest was empty for some time. On November 7, 1997<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oocities.org/athens/olympus/6666/obit5.html |title='Black Pope' of Satanic Church dies aged 67 |agency=Reuters |location=San Francisco |date=November 7, 1997 |first=Andrew |last=Quinn}}</ref> [[Karla LaVey]] made a press release about continuing the church with fellow high priestess [[Blanche Barton]]. Barton eventually received ownership of the organization, which she held for 4 years. Karla LaVey ultimately left the Church of Satan and founded [[First Satanic Church]]. On October 16, 2001, the Black House, the original home of the Church, was demolished after a fundraising effort failed to raise enough to buy it.<ref name=ft.135>{{cite web |last1= Gilmore |first1=Peter H. |title="Yes, We Have No Occultism." |url=https://www.churchofsatan.com/yes-we-have-no-occultism/ |accessdate=8 January 2024}}</ref> (In 1992, LaVey had sold the house to a real estate developer to raise money to  settle a divorce but the developer allowed LaVey to continue to live in the house for free.)<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.4-Rise/>

[[Image:Peter H Gilmore by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|High Priest [[Peter H. Gilmore]]]]
In 2001, Blanche ceded her position to longtime members Peter H. Gilmore and [[Peggy Nadramia]], the current High Priest and High Priestess and publishers of ''[[The Black Flame (magazine)|The Black Flame]]'', the official magazine of The Church of Satan, who managed an active CoS group in New York. The Central Office of the Church of Satan has also moved from San Francisco to New York City's [[Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan|Hell's Kitchen]] neighborhood, where the couple resides. The Church of Satan does not recognize any other organizations as holding legitimate claim to Satanism and its practice, though it does recognize that one need not be a member of the Church of Satan to be a Satanist.

In October 2004, the [[Royal Navy]] officially recognised its first registered Satanist, 24-year-old Chris Cranmer, as a technician aboard {{HMS|Cumberland|F85|6}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3948329.stm |title=UK &#124; Navy approves first ever Satanist |publisher=BBC News |date=2004-10-24 |access-date=2009-06-07}}</ref>

===6/6/06 High Mass===
On June 6, 2006, the Church of Satan held the first public ritual Satanic Mass in 40 years at the [[Steve Allen Theater]] in the [[Center for Inquiry]] in Los Angeles. The date corresponds to the [[Number of the beast|number of the Beast]], 666, from the biblical Book of Revelation. The ritual, based on the rites outlined in ''The Satanic Bible'' and ''The Satanic Rituals'', was conducted by Reverend Bryan Moore and Priestess Heather Saenz.<ref name="Lacitybeat.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=3916&IssueNum=158 |title=Los Angeles CityBeat — The Devil's Advocates |publisher=Lacitybeat.com |date= |access-date=2009-06-07 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081223231729/http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=3916&IssueNum=158 |archive-date=2008-12-23 }}</ref>

The event was by invitation only, and over one hundred members of the Church of Satan from around the world filled the theatre to capacity.   Many members of the Church of Satan were interviewed by the [[BBC]] with permission.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5051540.stm | work=BBC News | title=The Nick of time | date=2006-06-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/church-of-satan-high-priest-6-6-06-is-just-a-day-like-any-other/|title=Church Of Satan High Priest: 6/6/06 Is 'Just A Day, Like Any Other'|work=BLABBERMOUTH.NET|date=24 April 2006 }}</ref> The music for the mass was created and performed by [[Lustmord]] and was subsequently released on his album ''Rising''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lustmord.com/albums/ |title=Albums |publisher=Lustmord |date= |access-date=2015-11-19}}</ref>

===Example of law abidingness===
In December 2007 the [[Associated Press]] reported on a story concerning the Church of Satan, in which a teenager had sent an email to High Priest Gilmore stating he wanted to "kill in the name of our unholy lord Satan". Gilmore then reported the message to the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], who informed local police, who arrested the teenager.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/teen-held-after-e-mailing-satanic-group-threat-to-kill-grandparents |title=Teen Held After E-Mailing Satanic Group Threat to Kill Grandparents|publisher=FoxNews.com |date=2007-12-15 |access-date=2009-06-07|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217165333/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316967,00.html|archive-date=2007-12-17}}</ref>

===''Realm of Satan'' documentary===
In January 2024, the film ''Realm of Satan'' was shown at the [[Sundance Film Festival]]. The film is similar to a [[Documentary film|documentary]], though it consists primarily of scenes staged with members of the Church of Satan. One reviewer described it as "an 80-minute art installation in which Satanists are rendered—and deliberately render themselves—performative characters in a diabolical play of their own making."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schager |first=Nick |date=Jan 22, 2024 |title='Realm of Satan': Meet the Church's Magicians, Porn Stars, and Broomstick Makers |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/realm-of-satan-meet-the-churchs-magicians-porn-stars-and-members |work=Daily Beast}}</ref> The film is directed by Scott Cummings and it shows a variety of satanic [[ritual]]s, which may have been performed for the film alone.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Eddy |first=Cheryl |date=January 25, 2024 |title=Realm of Satan Brings Dark Glamour to a Misunderstood Culture |url=https://gizmodo.com/realm-of-satan-sundance-review-satanic-church-documenta-1851193817 |work=Gizmodo}}</ref>

==Membership==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:SatanWantsYou.jpg|thumb| Early promotional poster]] -->

The Church of Satan claims they do not solicit memberships nor proselytize. Individuals seeking membership must be legally defined as adults in their nation of residence. As of at least January 2023, no one "under the legal age of consent" may join the Church of Satan, with the exception those whose "parents or legal guardians are already members in good standing".<ref name="CoS Youth Communiqué">{{cite web |title=Church of Satan Youth Communiqué |url=https://www.churchofsatan.com/satanic-youth-communique/ |website=Church of Satan |access-date=7 January 2024 |quote=So, we simply cannot allow anyone under the legal age of consent to join the Church of Satan. The only exception to this rule would be if your parents or legal guardians are already members in good standing.}}</ref>

Active Members begin at the First Degree. One must apply and be approved for an Active Membership, and this is subject to one's answers to a lengthy series of questions. One cannot apply for higher Degrees, and the requirements for each degree are not open to the public. Promotion to a higher degree is by invitation only. Members of the Third through Fifth degrees constitute the Priesthood and may be addressed as "Reverend" (although the titles of "Magister/Magistra" and "Magus/Maga" are more often used when referring to members of the Fourth and Fifth Degrees, respectively). Members of the Fifth degree may also be known as "Doctor", although "The Doctor" usually refers to LaVey. Memberships may be terminated at the discretion of the ruling body of the Church of Satan consisting of the High Priest, the High Priestess and the Council of Nine.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

The church emphasizes that one does not have to join the organization to consider themselves a Satanist, and that one only needs to recognize themselves in The Satanic Bible and live according to the tenets outlined therein.<ref name="CoS-membership">{{cite web |title=Join the Church of Satan |url=https://www.churchofsatan.com/join-the-cos/ |website=Church of Satan |access-date=7 January 2024 |quote=ABOUT THE MEMBERSHIP FEE. We must emphasize that you don't have to join our organization to consider yourself a Satanist, you only need to recognize yourself in The Satanic Bible and live according to the tenets outlined therein. We don't proselytize, or otherwise campaign for people to join—that is your prerogative.}}</ref>

As the Church of Satan does not publicly release membership information, it is not known how many members belong to the Church. However, according to an interview with the Church of Satan, "interest in the Church of Satan and Satanism is growing all the time if our mailboxes, answering and fax machines, and e-mail is any indication."<ref name="The Church Of Satan – Interview">{{cite web|url=http://wormgearzine.com/2009/01/04/the-church-of-satan-interview/|title=The Church Of Satan – Interview - Worm Gear|work=Worm Gear|date=5 January 2009 }}</ref> Another source (''The Washington Post'') states the church claimed to have "hundreds of thousands" of members.<ref name="Boulware-WaPo-1998"/> 
However, according to Joseph Laycock, the Church grew rapidly in its first five years before declining, and had an estimated 250 members (according to one source). According to ''The Washington Post'', up until at least 1998, Church membership was never totaled "more than 300".<ref name="Boulware-WaPo-1998">{{cite news |last1=Boulware |first1=Jack |title=A DEVIL OF A TIME |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1998/08/30/a-devil-of-a-time/da3eea5a-1b17-46db-a8f1-3cd5821247e2/ |access-date=7 January 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=30 August 1998}}</ref>

===Hierarchy===
The church follows a formulated system of degrees based on [[meritocracy]]. These degrees are not open to application or to request and are only awarded to those who demonstrate excellence in the understanding and communication of Satanic Theory coupled with personal achievements in the outside world.<ref name="hierarchy">{{cite web|url=http://www.churchofsatan.com/hierarchy.php|title=Hierarchy - churchofsatan.com|first=Peter H.|last=Gilmore|work=churchofsatan.com}}</ref>

These degrees are:
* Registered Member (no degree)
* Active Member/Satanist (first degree)
* Witch/Warlock (second degree)
* Priestess/Priest (third degree)
* Magistra/Magister (fourth degree)
* Maga/Magus (fifth degree)

Agents of the Church of Satan are individuals who have been trained to serve as contacts for local media and other interested parties.<ref name="hierarchy" />

===Priesthood of Mendes and Council of Nine===
Members of the Priesthood make up the Council of Nine, which is the ruling body of the Church of Satan, of which Magistra Templi Rex [[Blanche Barton]] is the chair-mistress. Individuals who are part of the priesthood are those who act as spokespersons of the Church of Satan. The priesthood is exclusive to third-, fourth-, and fifth-degree members. Members of the priesthood may be referred to as "reverend".<ref name="hierarchy" /> The [[High priest|High Priest]] and Priestess act as administrative chiefs and primary public representatives; each position (High Priest and High Priestess) is held by a single individual at a time. The current High Priest is [[Peter H. Gilmore]],<ref name="PeterG">{{cite web|url=http://www.churchofsatan.com/history-peter-h-gilmore.php|title=Peter H. Gilmore|website=Church of Satan|access-date=16 April 2014}}</ref> the current High Priestess is [[Peggy Nadramia]].<ref name="PeggyN">{{cite web|url=http://www.churchofsatan.com/history-peggy-nadramia.php|title=Peggy Nadramia|website=Church of Satan|access-date=16 April 2014}}</ref>

The Church of Satan evaluates active members for the Priesthood by their accomplishment in society—mastered skills and peer recognition within a profession—rather than by mastery of irrelevant occult trivia. While expected to be experts in communicating the Satanic philosophy, members of the Priesthood are not required to speak on behalf of the Church of Satan and may even choose to keep their affiliation and rank secret in order to better serve their personal goals, as well as those of the organization. Membership in the Priesthood is by invitation only.

===The Grotto System===

Within Satanism, a [[Grotto (Satanism)|Grotto]] is a [[clandestine cell system|clandestine]] association or gathering of Satanists within geographical proximity for means of social, ritual, and special interest activities.<ref>[http://www.churchofsatan.com/home.html The Church of Satan Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701104244/http://www.churchofsatan.com/home.html |date=2012-07-01 }}, under Affiliation: The Grotto System Retrieved December 3, 2010</ref> The Church of Satan no longer formally recognizes or charters grottos.<ref name=grotto/> The primary reason for the end of the Grotto system is that only a small minority of members ever participated. This was further compounded by the fact that a publicly listed Grotto defeated the ability to remain secret and unknown to the larger populace. The Grotto system was in practice replaced by social media, private online forums, and other methods for members to interact with one another outside of the need for a so-called Grotto Master and annual reports to the central office of the Church of Satan.<ref name=grotto>{{cite web|title = The Grotto System {{!}} churchofsatan.com|url = http://www.churchofsatan.com/the-grotto-system.php|website= www.churchofsatan.com|access-date= 2015-08-23|first = Peter H.|last = Gilmore}}</ref>

==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist|group=Note}}

===Citations===
{{reflist|33em}}

===Works cited===

*{{Cite book|last1=Asprem |first1=Egil |last2=Granholm |first2=Kennet |title=Contemporary Esotericism |publisher=Routledge|location=London|year=2014|isbn=978-1-317-54357-2}}
*{{cite journal|last1=Cavaglion|first1=Gabriel|last2=Sela-Shayovitz|first2=Revital|title=The Cultural Construction of Contemporary Satanic Legends in Israel|journal=Folklore|date=December 2005|volume=116 |issue=3|pages=255–271 |doi=10.1080/00155870500282701|s2cid=161360139}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Faxneld |editor1-first=Per|editor2-last=Petersen |editor2-first=Jesper Aagaard |title=The Devil's Party: Satanism in Modernity |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=Oxford |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-19-977924-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QQJlf729qUMC}}
*{{Cite book |first1=Peter H. |last1=Gilmore |author1-link=Peter H. Gilmore |last2=Barton |first2=Blanche |first3=Timothy Patrick |last3=Butler |title=[[The Satanic Scriptures]] |publisher=Scapegoat Publishing |location= |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-9764035-9-3}}
* {{cite encyclopedia |last=Lap |first=Amina Olander |contribution=Categorizing Modern Satanism: An Analysis of LaVey's Early Writings |title=The Devil's Party: Satanism in Modernity |editor=Per Faxneld |editor2=Jesper Aagaard Petersen|publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-19-977924-6 |pages=83–102 }}
* {{cite book|first1=Joseph P. |last1=Laycock |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/satanism/4150D0B522022169485FCD56FA7FE2BE |title=Satanism|year=2023 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |series=Elements in New Religious Movements |isbn=9781009057349 |edition=online |ref=JPLS2023}}
*{{cite journal|last=Lewis|first=James R. |title=Diabolical Authority: Anton LaVey, The Satanic Bible and the Satanist "Tradition"|journal=Marburg Journal of Religion|date=September 2002|volume=7 |issue=1|pages=1–16 |url=http://archiv.ub.uni-marburg.de/mjr/lewis3.html}}
*{{cite book |last=Petersen |first=Jesper Aa. |title=Controversial New Religions |title-link=Controversial New Religions |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-19-515682-9 |editor-last=Lewis |editor-first=James R. |editor-link=James R. Lewis (scholar) |edition=2nd |location=New York |language=en |chapter=Carnal, Chthonian, Complicated: The Matter of Modern Satanism |editor-last2=Petersen |editor-first2=Jesper Aa.}}
*{{cite book|last=Wright|first=Lawrence|title=Saints & Sinners|year=1993|publisher=Alfred A. Knopf |location=New York|isbn=0-394-57924-0|author-link=Lawrence Wright |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1bwDrFdnNcsC}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |url=http://www.xeper.org/maquino/nm/COS.pdf |title=The Church of Satan |edition=5th |year=2002 |first=Michael A. |last=Aquino}}
*{{cite book |title=[[Lucifer Rising (Baddeley book)|Lucifer Rising: A Book of Sin, Devil Worship and Rock 'n' Roll]] |author-link=Gavin Baddeley |first1=Gavin |last1=Baddeley |first2=Paul |last2=Woods |publisher=[[Plexus Publishing]] |location=UK |date=2000 |isbn=0-85965-280-7}}
*{{cite book |title=[[The Church of Satan (book)|The Church of Satan: A History of the World's Most Notorious Religion]] |first=Blanche |last=Barton |publisher=Hell's Kitchen Productions |date=1990 |isbn=0-9623286-2-6}}
*Barton, Blanche. 2021. We Are Satanists: The History and Future of the Church of Satan. La Quinta, CA: Aperient Press.
*Dyrendal, Asbjørn, James R. Lewis, and L. Petersen. 2015. ''The Invention of Satanism''. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
*Foertsch, Steven. "An Organizational Analysis of the Schismatic Church of Satan." Review of Religious Research 64: 55–76. [https://philpapers.org/archive/FOEAOA.pdf ]
*Foertsch, Steven. "A Field Study Update on Organizational Satanism and Setianism in the United States." ''Review of Religious Research'' 64, no. 4 (2022): 981-996. [https://philpapers.org/go.pl?aid=FOEAFS ]
*Introvigne, Massimo. 2016. ''Satanism: A Social History''. Leiden, NL: Koninklijke Brill.
*{{Cite book |last1=LaVey |first1=Anton Szandor  |author1-link=Anton LaVey |last2=Wolfe |first2=Burton H. |title=[[The Satanic Bible]] |publisher=Avon |location=New York |year=1969 |isbn=0-380-01539-0}}
*{{Cite book |last=LaVey |first=Anton Szandor |title=[[The Satanic Witch]] |publisher=Feral House |location=Venice, Calif |year=1971 |isbn=0-922915-84-9}}
*{{Cite book |first=Anton Szandor |last=LaVey |title=[[The Satanic Rituals]] |publisher=Avon |location=New York |year=1972 |isbn=0-380-01392-4}}
*{{Cite book |last=LaVey |first=Anton Szandor |title=[[The Devil's Notebook]] |publisher=Feral House |location=Venice, Calif |year=1992 |isbn=0-922915-11-3}}
*{{Cite book |first=Anton Szandor |last=LaVey |title=[[Satan Speaks!]] |publisher=Feral House |location=Venice, Calif |year=1997 |isbn=0-922915-66-0}}
*Lewis, James R. "Diabolical Authority: Anton LaVey, The Satanic Bible and the Satanist Tradition." ''Marburg Journal of Religion'' 7, no. 1 (2002): 1-16.
*{{cite book |title=Modern Satanism: Anatomy of a Radical Subculture |first=Chris |last=Mathews |publisher=[[Praeger Publishers]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-313-36639-0}}
* {{cite book |last1=Nathan |first1=D. |author-link1=Debbie Nathan |last2=Snedeker |first2=M. |title=Satan's Silence: Ritual Abuse and the Making of a Modern American Witch Hunt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JVVsAAAAIAAJ |year=1995 |publisher=[[Basic Books]] |isbn=978-0-87975-809-7 }}
*Petersen, J. 2009. "Satanists and Nuts: The Role of Schisms in Modern Satanism." In Sacred Schisms: How Religions Divide, ed. J. Lewis and S. Lewis, 218–247. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikinews|Satanism: An interview with Church of Satan High Priest Peter Gilmore}}
* {{Official website|https://www.churchofsatan.com/}}
* [http://www.velvethammerburlesque.com/pages/antonlavey.html Interview with Anton LaVey] by Michelle Carr and Elvia Lahman for Velvet Hammer souvenir programme, September 1997.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxgr29Pq2co Interview with Magus Peter H. Gilmore] by [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] program ''The Hour''.
* [https://www.vice.com/en/article/beelzebubs-daughter-0000175-v19n4/ Interview with Zeena Schreck] by Annette Lamothe-Ramos at [[Vice (magazine)|''Vice'' magazine]], April 2012

{{LaVeyan Satanism}}
{{Greater and Lesser Magic}}
{{New Religious Movements}}

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